My deep sympathy for Ukraine and commitment for the Maidan revolution originated in the awareness of the persistence of the soviet system in Eastern Europe despite the collapse of USSR and of the communist empire. This persistence has been dramatically enhanced by the choice of continuity by Russia, the absence of any trial of communist crimes, the hold on power of the same ruling class through apparent changes, and of the same political mores: a blend of secret police and high scale corruption

For Ukrainians incarcerated in the occupied territories and in the Russian Federation itself, things could get much worse in 2018. Only serious international pressure is likely to make Moscow release these political prisoners

The Ukrainian Week spoke with Raimonds Vejonis, the newly-elected President of the Republic of Latvia and Minister of Defense when this interview was made, about NATO revival, the "deterrent effect," Putin's unpredictability, and the cost of the conflict in Ukraine to Riga

Ukrainians might ask why there is clearly a military solution to the defence of Germany, yet politicians such as Angela Merkel insist that a military response to the invasion of Ukraine would be pointless

Donetsk-born MP Yegor Firsov on his home region: In contrast to most regular citizens, who saw the riots from outside, I knew the process from inside. From the very first days, I clearly understood that there was a guided, controlled rebellion, in which everyone skilfully played the roles designated to them

The Ukrainian Week speaks to the author of the newly published book Putin’s Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia? about the loyalty of people around the Kremlin leader, the role of Ukraine in his staying in power, and about Russian money in Europe.

Rinat Akhmetov, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovych continue to weave plots for Eastern Ukraine, making the rebels with black-and-orange ribbons think that they are dying for a New Russia, not for oligarchic interests

Andrey Illarionov, a former advisor to Vladimir Putin, talks to The Ukrainian Week about the prospects of Russian imperialism, the efficiency of Western diplomacy and the possible consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war

The Ukrainian Week talks to Wolfgang Ischinger, German diplomat who was the Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for National Dialogue Roundtables in Ukraine, on his work, European and Ukrainian co-existence with Russia, and security threats of the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia

Checkpoints and barricades made out of tires have been installed on the highways of Donetsk region. In the cities administrative buildings have been seized. Groups of masked men armed with sticks and bats control the roads and search the passing transport. Using crowds of civilians as a shield "the little green men" capture Ukrainian armored vehicles

The “referendum” in Crimea revealed Vladimir Putin’s partners in the EU. Most are minority radical parties which, according to his design, have to undermine the EU’s already quite unwieldy system from the inside with Moscow’s support

Russian military aggression has recently become a constant threat, while the Western powers are failing to fulfil the security guarantees they extended to Ukraine under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. The issue of nuclear or other similarly effective weapons with which to defend Ukraine’s borders is again high on the agenda

By plunging Russia into a full-scale confrontation with the West to boost his own popularity ratings Vladimir Putin may be preparing his country for another sobering shock from the defeat in a conflict with the entire world

After speaking to representatives of the Ukrainian Jewish community David Frum, journalist of The Atlantic, says there’s not more trouble for Jews in Ukraine than in other European country and the atrocities described by Russian media is a part of Russian propaganda campaign against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Week talks to Volodymyr Ohryzko, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2007–2009, about what Ukraine can do if the guarantors under the Budapest Memorandum it signed in 1994 in exchange for giving up its strategic nuclear weapons arsenal, the third largest in the world, fail to meet their commitments

Mykola Melnyk, ex-First Deputy Head of Military Intelligence and a founder of the National Guard, comments on Ukraine's defence capacity and efforts of the previous defence ministers to destroy the Ukrainian army

As William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, held crisis talks with Ukraine’s new leaders in Kyiv at the weekend, London announced that it was pulling out of preparatory talks on the Sochi G8 summit, and warned President Putin that Russia’s actions could lead to war

Putin cannot be faulted for skillfully pursuing his interpretation of Russian interests. The blame for the outcome in Ukraine falls squarely on the EU’s leaders, because if Ukraine does lose its independence in one way or another, European security will be at risk – a risk nowhere more keenly felt than in Poland and the Baltic states, Joschka Fischer, german Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1998-2005, says in his article for Project Syndicate.

The European Union is not prepared to get into a bidding war with Russia for Ukraine. But it appears that the attraction of European living standards, rule of law and democracy remain strong with Ukrainians, particularly the young. Mr. Putin's Russia offers nothing that can compete with that.

Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma believes that the presidents of Ukraine and Russia Viktor Yanukovych and Vladimir Putin have certain agreements. He said this while responding to questions from journalists after the roundtable on Friday, December, 20th.

On December 17, 2013 Yanukovych annulled Ukraine as an independent entity, as a full-fledged participant in international politics, and put all international level decisions that concern Ukraine in the hands of Vladimir Putin, Yulia Tymoshenko says in her statement regarding the events in Moscow on December 17.

For Putin, ‘losing’ Ukraine would be particularly humiliating, so he will accelerate Russian pressure on Kyiv. However, if Ukraine gives up, it would influence the position of the countries which still expect just to initial the agreements with the EU, says Amanda Paul, a Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre in Brussels, in her article for EPC website.

In spite of the everlasting pro-Russian lobby in Ukraine, constant economic pressure and various trade barriers weaken influence of such a lobby on Ukraine’s economic policy and future perspectives, writes Maksym Bugriy for The Jamestown Foundation

The emerging strategic competition between Germany and Russia will be based on contrasting principles of governance, rule of law, human rights, and economic discipline that will impact on the entire continent.

The stark contrast between Western and Russian understanding of “soft power” has become evident during President Vladimir Putin’s third presidency. For the Kremlin, “soft power” is part of its arsenal of foreign policy tools designed to re-integrate Russia’s neighbors around a Moscow orbit.

Ukraine is paying the price for Yanukovych's suspension of European integration. The president's regime has found itself isolated internationally as a result of its anti-democratic domestic policies and the country has been left vulnerable to external pressure.

For several months now, Viktor Medvedchuk has been trying to convince Ukrainians to accept the choice of a Russia-imposed civilisation. At the very least, he wants to be in the Ukrainian parliament to coordinate its pro-Russian lobby.

Given the intensification of leftist, populist and anti-Western rhetoric from Mr. Putin, within the country, the old-new Russian president is going to rely ever more on voters who share his vision of Russia as a “besieged fortress”.

Kalugin, currently a professor at the Center for Counterintelligence and Security Studies, speaks about Vladimir Putin’s use of Stalinist methods and the Russian Orthodox Church as a servant of the FSB

On May 16, Ukrainian filmmaker currently jailed in Russia as a political prisoner went on a hunger strike. In a public letter he wrote that he would only stop the strike if all 64 Ukrainian prisoners jailed in Russia for politically-motivated grounds are released

The opposition in Ukraine is mostly reactive and it chooses actions that will be most useful for criticizing the current Administration or gaining the attention of a specific part of the electorate. What Ukraine needs most right now is a consolidating program and a party that could present its own alternative for the country